The War of the Gryphons ended what was nearly a return to Imperial Durnalia. During the fifty years prior to the War of the Gryphons, the Durnalians were ruled by a King whose majesty and power was legendary, reminiscent Durnan the Conqueror (son of Durnan the Peacemaker and grandson of Durnan the Builder). His name was Arastus, High King of Durnalia, and he was known as Arastus the Great.
In fifteen years, he had managed to re-conquer nearly all of what Durnalia had lost in the previous four centuries. His army was mighty, but it was his tactics and his uncanny ability to read the mind of his foe that gained him such rapid victories.
Battles were waged, and Arastus was on the very verge of re-establishing the Empire of Durnalia (only the western lands known as 'Tiarna', once a site of the Holy Wars during Itracian rule, still somehow resisted, much to Arastus' consternation) when from the east came a new threat: his own twin brother Castilus, born minutes after Arastus.
Arastus turned his attention from Tiarna, nearly on the verge of destruction, and toward Castilus. In the end, the Second Durnalian Empire was reduced to near rubble. It was the creations, centuries prior, of Emperor Junian "the Clean" that saved it: with the added aqueducts, Editia was able to maintain a steady water supply, and it survived. The same can not be said of Arastus, who died in a fatal battle against Castilus.
The details of the War of the Gryphons are not quite finalized in my mind yet, but the result is clear: Durnalia had lost its Imperial strength forever. Reduced back to its traditional borders, Durnalia today is still the most powerful nation in the land, but there is no doubt that should another Durnalian King attempt to rise to the heights of High King Arastus, many surrounding nations would join together against him.
A common thread throughout Durnalian history is a sense of superiority that the Durnalians have felt, and continue to feel toward the rest of the world. No cities compare to Durnalian cities, and no civilization is as learned or as advanced. The War of the Gryphons nearly ended Durnalian civilization, but it still survives, thanks in part to the simultaneous death of the would-be Kings. That which Castilus controlled (the two brothers shared reign during the war), the eastern part of the former Empire, is now primarily untamed, though some nations have begun to arise.
Durnalia itself is back to its old self again, and the newly created kingdom of Tarindal (named after its first King and martyr) has arisen as the most powerful contender to Durnalian world rule.
Since the War of the Gryphons, the Durnalians have turned their attention toward home. It was a destructive war for the Kingdom, and a final turning point in Durnalian history. Today, the Kingdom fields an impressive sized army and navy, but these are primarily defensive in nature.